If Veda’s mama hadn’t pounded religion into her “the way she pounded the dirt out of Papa’s overalls,” she probably wouldn’t have married Raymond in the first place. It’s the Great Depression and jobs are scarce, but it seems to Veda that Raymond uses religion as an excuse for why he can’t find work. He can’t work on the Sabbath, he can’t work around crude or vulgar men, and he will not join a union.

After years of financial hardship, four babies, and what Raymond calls “Veda’s accident,” Veda defies her church and files for divorce. The mysterious loss of her second husband is devastating, and in order to raise her kids, she does things she is not proud of. Over the years she has blamed the church, Raymond, fate, and herself for her troubles, but it is Charlie’s recklessness that swallows up every bit of pride she has left.